US Google Play store opens up to alternative payments in boost for DTC

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From today the US Google Play store will open up to alternative payment methods is an injunction from the Epic vs. Google case comes into force.

The tech giant announced the change to ensure compliance with the court’s ruling. The company has been forced to allow publishers to use other payments outside of Google Play billing. Publishers will also not be required to set a price based on whether Google Play Billing is being used.

Google will also no longer prohibit the communication of the pricing of an app outside of the marketplace, nor prohibit use of direct download links.

The firm noted it will share more details on business model changes “to preserve user trust and safety in the ecosystem” in the near future.

The injunction against Google will run for three years ending on November 1st, 2027.

There is no news on the Google’s latest petition with the US Supreme Court to grant a stay against the move.

Cracked open

Last week a US judge extended Google’s deadline to comply with an injunction by a week after a request from both the tech giant and Epic Games.

The ruling against Google is similar to the Epic Games vs. Apple case which saw the App Store cracked open in the US to alternative payment systems, pending appeal.

It’s another boon for publishers and payment companies looking to shift sales to platforms with more favourable revenue shares. We previously took a look at how much revenue the world’s top publishers were driving from their direct-to-consumer strategies.